What it is: a dramatic reimagining of the founding of Liberia, with touches of magic and memorable characters.

Starring: West African Gbessa, shunned as a witch; preternaturally strong former slave June; and mixed race Jamaican Norman, who can disappear. In the fight for freedom, their unique traits become powerful strengths.

Why you might like it: Eloquent and perceptive, this genre-defying debut is both a brisk adventure and a thoughtful examination of colonialism and resistance.

What it's about: In this wish-fulfillment tale, Sabrina Nielsen arrives at her 30th birthday party to see that the guests are her answers to the ice-breaking question, "Who in all of history would you like to share a meal with?"

The guests: sentimental best friend Jessica; the father who abandoned Sabrina as a child (and who has since died); her on-again, off-again lover, Tobias; a college philosophy professor...and Audrey Hepburn, who adds some class and magic to the proceedings.

Is it for you? With a fair amount of violence, cruelty, bullying, profanity, and explicit sex, this angst-filled graphic novel isn't for everyone, but moments of beauty make this difficult story worth following.

What it's about: Founded in 1889, Elmwood Springs, Missouri has flourished over the last 150 years. As has the town cemetery -- everyone buried there quickly "wakes up" to catch up with long-departed friends and family members!

The set-up: In A Dirty Job, secondhand-shop owner Charlie Asher learned he worked for Death, collecting souls in San Francisco. In Secondhand Souls, those souls are being stolen, and Charlie himself is trapped without a body.

Is it for you? As with anything by Christopher Moore, an appreciation of the absurd, for jokes both clever and rude, and of outsize characters are all necessary to enjoy this irreverent take on life after death.

The premise: For nearly ten years after her violent murder, 14-year-old Susie Salmon watches over her family and friends from a kind of interim heaven, observing as they try to come to terms with her death.

Did you know? First published in 2002, this delicate debut novel, which received high praise for its treatment of a difficult subject was a long-running bestseller (and an Oscar-nominated film).

What to read next:The Good Sister by Jamie Kain. Though written for teens, it's another emotionally powerful tale of an untimely death.

Contact your librarian for more great books!

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